'Hope Throws her Heart Away' play reading at The Women's Theater

Join us for a reading of a delightful play! Parsippany Playhouse 1130 Knoll Rd Lake Hiawatha NJ Starring Nancy Kutzer, Valerie Stack Dodge, Alexa Teebo. Directed by Patricia Durante $10 Womenstheater.org For non-conformist Hope, being grown up is nothing she expected. After stumbling through childhood and school, adulthood only brings even more uncertainty-- an expedition without a map. The more she pushes, the more life seems to push her back. What’s left? Fake conforming? Forget ever fitting in? After a road of disappointments Hope discovers that defeat and loss actually might be stepping stones to the fulfillment she seeks. Finding an identity can be a life-long search. The story of a woman’s search for identity in a random-seeming world. As the role of women continues to change, a non-conformist struggles to create her life. A woman tries to be all things to all people, only to learn the person she needs to please is herself.  Hope Throws Heart Away is a play about the puzzle of growing up after growing up-- compromising and holding firm, standing out and fitting in, self-doubt and resolve. As the title character Hope tries, fails, falls and pushes forward, she finds that tumbling through a random life might occasionally…start to make sense.  HOPE THROWS HER HEART AWAY is like a series of staged blog entries –snapshots of a woman’s life from an awkward childhood to adult uncertainty and then finally a ray of self-content.  For HOPE, life never is never easy. As school and peer pressure wear, Hope shapes herself according to expectations: the reciting student, the flustered friend, the agreeable date. By adulthood, she’s a lost woman trying to be all things to all people. Hope’s search for herself again is the journey of HOPE THROWS HER HEART AWAY.

Join us for a reading of a delightful play!

NJSO String Quartet to present a musical tour of Italy at Centenary Stage Company

Centenary Stage Company presents The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra String Quartet for a musical tour of Italy in Una Festa Musicale Italiano on Sunday, September 30 at 2PM in the Lackland Performing Arts Center.

The afternoon’s program is a musical tour through sunny Italy, brought to life by a string ensemble from the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.  Featuring everything from traditional tarantella dances to the soaring beauty of music by Puccini, Mascagni and Rossini, this program will transport you to a land where speech is like singing and melody flows like wine.

Tickets for The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra String Quartet: Una Festa Musicale Italiano are $22.50 for adults and $15.00 for children under 12 in advance. As with all concerts, jazz and special events ticket prices for NJSO String Quartet: Una Festa Musicale Italiano increase $5.00 on the day of the performance.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979 – 0900. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue Hackettstown, NJ on the campus of Centenary University. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 – 5 PM and two hours prior to every scheduled event.  Centenary Stage Company can also be found on social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Like and follow to receive the latest in CSC news and special offers.

The 2018-2019 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, and CSC corporate sponsors, including Premier Season Sponsor Heath Village Retirement Community and The House of the Good Shepherd, Silver Sponsors HMC Atlantic Health, Home Instead Senior Care (Washington), Fulton Bank of New Jersey, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.

Tony award-winning author/composer Rupert Holmes in talkback at Bergen County Players

Bergen County Players, one of America’s longest-running little theater companies, recently opened its 86th season with the Five-time Tony Award winning musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  With Book, Music and Lyrics written by Rupert Holmes, The Mystey of Edwin Drood is based on an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Holmes will make a special live appearance at the Little Firehouse Theatre for BCP's "Conversation With An Artist" talkback immediately following the Sunday, September 23 matinee performance.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. The Mystery of Edwin Drood will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell through October 6th, 2018. 

 

Rupert Holmes, a former Bergen County resident and an ardent supporter of the Bergen County Players, is perhaps best known as author-composer of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Edgar award-winning Broadway comedy-thriller Accomplice.  He was the first person in theatrical history to be the sole winner of Tony Awards for Best Book, Best Music and Best Lyrics for Drood, which also won the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Broadway Musical. His comedy-drama about the life of comedian George Burns, Say Goodnight, Gracie, earned him a Tony nomination for Best Play.  His stage comedy-thrillers Accomplice and Solitary Confinement broke box office records, with both shows enjoying runs on Broadway, while the musical comedy Curtains won Holmes the Drama Desk award for Best Book of a Musical, as well as two further Tony nominations. In a unique collaboration, Holmes wrote the original comedy thriller Thumbs! expressly for BCP, which had its world premiere at the Little Firehouse Theatre in 2001.

 

Winner of five Tony Awards in 1986, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a musical comedy about a theatre company attempting to stage a musical comedy of the story Charles Dickens was writing when he died. Because the story was never finished, the mystery of who killed Edwin Drood is left to the audience to solve. Depending on the audience’s voice votes, shows of hands and ballots, the last half-hour of the show changes at every performance. There are literally hundreds of possible endings.

 

For over 20 years, BCP's "Conversations With An Artist" talkback series has provided the public with an opportunity to converse directly with the most seminal figures in theater. Past speakers have included Tony Award-winning actor Philip Bosco (“Lend Me A Tenor”, “Moon Over Buffalo”), Tony Award-nominated Rob McClure ("Chaplin", "Something Rotten!", "Honeymoon in Vegas")  and Tony Award-nominated Beth Fowler ("Beauty and the Beast", "Sweeney Todd", "The Boy  From Oz"), to name a few.

 

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

·   All performances take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949.  Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

·  Tickets for The Mystery of Edwin Drood are $24 for all performances, and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours.  Visa, Master Card, and American Express are accepted.

·  Those interested in Group Sales or benefit theater parties can call (201) 261-4200 (mailbox #6)

·       ·  BCP offers seating to accommodate patrons who are mobility impaired. These seats can be purchased by calling the box office at 201-261-4200 and will be released for public sale two weeks prior to performance.

·     ·   Advance discount tickets for students age 25 and under with proper ID are available for $14 by phone or walk-up only, and student rush seats can be purchased for $5 (cash only) starting 30 minutes before curtain at every performance, pending seat availability. There is a limit of one rush ticket per student.

·       ·   A new program is now available for qualified non-profit organizations to use one performance of each production as a fundraising event.  The group will book all 200 seats at a deeply discounted price and then resell the tickets at a price of their choosing, with the difference in price kept by the group. The available date is the Thursday of each show’s final weekend.  Interested groups can email fundraising@bcplayers.org for more information.

·       ·    Parking is free for our patrons at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater, as well as street parking on Kinderkamack Road and various side streets, all within easy walking distance.

 

Further information can be found at www.bcplayers.org.

 

Improv class for adults and teens with Dave Maulbeck at Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, professional Theatre in Residence at the Oakes Center in Summit, will offer an Open Level Improv class for adults and teens beginning October 6.

Improv expert Dave Maulbeck (Madison) will teach the six-week Improv Comedy for Teens and Adults class. Open to both students who have taken the Level 1 class and to beginners, the class runs from October 6 through November 10 on Saturdays from 12:30 – 2:30 pm at Step Right Up Studio at 29 Main Street in Madison, NJ. Enrollment is also open for the Winter, Spring and Summer Improv sessions at Dreamcatcher.

These classes delve deep into the craft of improv with more complex games as the weeks progress. The Improv Class is great for new improvisers, and also for actors who want to add another dimension to their skills. For those who come with a foundation of improv skills, Dave will introduce games that require keeping many balls in the air at once. The environment is supportive and responsive to the needs of students with any level of experience. Improv is a valuable skill for countless situations such as public speaking, auditions and job interviews as well.

Dave Maulbeck is an entertainment artist and member of the Screen Actors Guild and he recently relocated back to New York City after a multi-year stint in Los Angeles. He has starred in several commercials, including the Super Bowl Ad - Groundhog Day, for truTV, and as the Polish Polisher for Burger King. Wiith film credits including the evil Dr. Wily in Megaman, and the main character Dracula Goes to Camp, Dave is no stranger to the screen. In 2007 Dave co-founded Chicken Scoop Productions where he executive produced several spec pilots, music videos, and web series. More recently he has been developing animation projects with BEHIND the BAG! Productions, where he is co-creator and illustrator of The Kinetix, a comic book series featuring high school superheroes whose powers derive from their respective disabilities, which recently reached full funding on Kickstarter.

The cost for the class (six weeks) is $210. Step Right Up Studio is located in the rear of the building at 29 Main Street in Madison. Parking is conveniently located adjacent to the building, accessed from Green Village Road between Kings Road and Main Street. The facility is wheelchair accessible. To register for the class or for information on any of Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre's programs, please visit www.dreamcatcherrep.org or contact Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre at The Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, 908-514-9654.

Performance, Discussion About Female Singer/Songwriters Slated at RVCC

The public is invited to attend a performance and discussion, “Women Who Rock and Write: Female Singer/Songwriters Then and Now,” featuring guest performers Nalani and Sarina, Monday, October 8, from 1-2:20 p.m., at Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg.

The event, which is free of charge, will be presented in onstage seating in RVCC’s Nash Theatre. Seating is first-come, first served and doors will open at 12:40 p.m.

Identical twins Nalani and Sarina are critically acclaimed singers who offer a distinctive blend of traditional soul-rock singing with original and powerful lyrics. Their words speak to the social, political and economic issues of their generation. The artists’ charismatic live shows have made them fan favorites in the East Coast club and concert scene.

Legendary music critic/Sirius XM radio host Dave Marsh has called their material, “a splendid melding of classic and contemporary styles,” and “some of the best music being made today.” In reviewing their second, just-released album, The Circle, and single titled “Young and Inexperienced,” NJArts.net recently praised Nalani and Sarina as a “voice for their generation” and “one of the best musical acts to come out of NJ in a long time.”

In a musical landscape that is largely bereft of Asian-Americans, Nalani and Sarina offer songs that are catchy and meaningful, demonstrating their homage to the great singer/songwriters of the past. To learn more about the artists, visit www.nalanisarina.com.

The Women Who Rock and Write” program is the fifth presentation in the highly successful “Music as a Mirror on History” series sponsored by the College’s Humanities, Social Science, Social Work and Education Department, as well as RVCC Arts. The series invites professional musicians/guest artists to RVCC to perform and discuss the relevance of their music with students, staff, faculty and the public.

The October 8 event will include a question-and-answer session as well as a “meet and greet” with the artists. For additional information, contact program coordinator Professor Roger Shutack at roger.shutack@raritanval.edu.

RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.

Auditions: 'Annie' at Centenary Stage Company

Centenary Stage Company will be holding additional non – union open auditions for the family holiday spectacular, Annie on Sunday, September 23 from 1PM – 7PM in the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue Hackettstown, NJ.

Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written, including "Tomorrow." With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations... and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

CSC’s production of Annie will be directed and choreographed by Broadway, film and television veteran Michael Blevins.  Rehearsals will be held weekends (Friday to Sunday) beginning in October with performances running November 23 through December 9.  Additional auditions will be held on Sunday, September 23 from 1PM – 7PM. 

The audition will consist of two parts; a vocal audition and dance call. September 23 from 1 – 4PM (vocal call) / 4:30PM – 7:00PM (dance call). For the vocal portion of the call, interested performers are welcome to bring a monologue or read from sides that will be provided. Performers are also asked to prepare a 32-bar cut from a song in the style of the show (but not from Annie).  Please bring your book and be prepared to sing from it.  An accompanist will be provided. For the dance portion of the call performers are asked to dress comfortably; bring dance and tap shoes. 

Although no appointment is necessary interested performers should call the Centenary Stage Company box office to be placed on an audition list. Performers will be seen on a first come first serve basis throughout the days.  All roles are open except for Miss Hannigan. All performers should be at least 18 years of age to audition. Centenary Stage Company is NOT seeking child performers. Please note, performers under the age of 18 will not be seen. For more information please visit centenarystageco.org.  To schedule call the CSC administrative office at (908) 979 – 0900.

Katrina Ferguson in 'The Tragedy of Julius Caesar' at Greenbrier Valley Theatre

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare
Tragedy | September 21 – October 6

Shakespeare’s tragedy is a political thriller in which politics collide when Brutus and chief conspirator, Cassius, intervene to stop Caesar’s rise to absolute power. Instead of redeeming the republic, their regicide throws the country into chaos. Adapted by Director and GVT Associate Artistic Director, Courtney Susman, GVT’s production will put a contemporary spin on Shakespeare’s classic play. But despite the changes, audiences are going to see the bones of the original ancient Roman tragedy, says Susman, which is just as relevant to our time as it was to Shakespeare’s.

 Greenbrier Valley Theatre in downtown Lewisburg, West Virginia invites you to take a new look at William Shakespeare’s classic play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

Katrina Ferguson

Greenbrier Valley Theatre

1038 Washington Street, Lewisburg, West Virginia 24901

Matinée performances available. Please call the box office for more details.

Tickets:
$30 | General Admission
$27 | Senior (60+)
$20 | Student/Child
$20 | WVSOM Students (with valid ID) (call the box office to purchase)

Performances:
*September 20 | 7:30 p.m.
September 21 |7:30 p.m.
September 22 | 7:30 p.m.
September 28 | 7:30 p.m.
September 29 | 7:30 p.m.
October 5 | 7:30 p.m.
October 6 | 7:30 p.m.

* Pay-What-You-Can preview night performances available at box office on a first-come, first-serve basis. Walk-ups only please.

To purchase tickets, visit https://bit.ly/2wrQI6j or call the box office at 304-645-3838.

Bickford: Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins

          
An enchanting and hilarious memory play opening at the Bickford Theatre
(Morristown, NJ) — The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum is pleased to present Souvenir: a Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins by Stephen Temperley from September 27 – 30, 2018.  April Woodall stars as Florence Foster Jenkins and Nicholas Kaminiski as Cosmé McMoon.  This production is directed by David Edwards in conjunction with Surflight Theatre of Beach Haven, NJ.
Souvenir is the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy society eccentric who suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano. For more than half a century, her name has been guaranteed to produce explosions of derisive laughter as she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Her annual recitals in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, brought her extraordinary fame. As news of her terrible singing spread, so did her celebrity. Her growing mob of fans packed her recitals, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths to stifle their laughter—which Mrs. Jenkins blissfully mistook for cheers. The climax of her career was a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Famously, it sold out in two hours. Souvenir, by turn hilarious and poignant, tells her story through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosmé McMoon. A talented musician, he regards her at first as little more than an easy way to pay the rent, but, as he gets to know her, his initial contempt gives way to reluctant admiration, then friendship and affection. Faced with Florence’s boundless certainty, Cosmé comes to revise his attitude, not only towards her singing but to the very meaning of music itself.
Souvenir was originally produced Off-Broadway at the York Theatre Company and after much critical acclaim moved to Broadway for an extended run. Both versions were directed by Vivian Matalon, who initially suggested the idea to author Stephen Temperley. David Edwards has previously directed the play at New London Barn Playhouse and Surflight Theatre, and actress April Woodall has starred in several productions of the play, including most recently at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre.
The cast and creative team includes:
April Woodall (Florence Foster Jenkins) is an actress and vocalist with a background in opera. Regional credits: Maine State Music Theatre, ME; Fulton Theatre, PA; Arrow Rock Lyceum, MO; American Theatre Group, NJ; Mill Mountain Theater, VA; Little Theatre on the Square, IL; Gateway Playhouse, NY. Closer to her home in Pennsylvania: Bristol Riverside Theatre; Hedgerow Theatre; Flashpoint Theatre; Center City Theatre Works; The Seaport History Museum Theatre; Eagle Theatre; and The Devon. Best Actress award from The Chain Theatre (Reading under the Influence); Best Solo Performance, MITF; Carbonell nomination for The Sound of Music (Maltz Jupiter Theatre); Barrymore nomination for Souvenir (Montgomery Theatre.) April is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

Interior renovations to Paper Mill Playhouse are complete! NAME A SEAT

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is proud to announce that interior renovations to the historic theater are complete in time for the 80^th anniversary season.  The interior of the theater was renovated over the summer of 2018, including replacement of all the theater’s seating. Theater supporters are invited to contribute to the seat campaign by purchasing a name plaque as part of the theater’s “Name a Seat” fundraiser. This lays the foundation for a greater capital campaign for the Millburn theater.

Paper Mill Playhouse donors, patrons and stakeholders have the opportunity to dedicate a seat in the newly renovated theater, a visible and lasting way to show your support for Paper Mill Playhouse. Your inspiration for inscribing a seat plaque can come from anywhere, for any reason meaningful to you. You can dedicate a seat as an individual, couple, or family for your children, grandchildren, parents, in memory of a loved one or with the name of your business or organization. Pricing for seat locations is as follows: Orchestra seats $3,000; Mezzanine Box seats $1,500; Mezzanine seats $750. We will honor all seat requests on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference given to those who previously had a seat named. You can call 973-315-1659 or visit www.PaperMill.org/grabaseat to order a seat or for more information. Seat name recognition does not guarantee any seat location for future performances.

Renown Guitarist Livingston Taylor November 3rd At The Tabernacle

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well crafted, introspective, and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide.

From top-40 hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,” the last two recorded by his brother James, Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz—and from upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances.

Livingston has never stopped performing since those early coffeehouse days, shared the stage with major artists such as Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffett, and Jethro Tull, and he maintains a busy concert schedule, touring internationally. He is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth that connect him to his fans. His relaxed on-stage presence belies the depth of his musical knowledge, and fans might just as often be treated to a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway.

Livingston is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989. He teaches young artists invaluable lessons learned over the course of an extensive career on the road; the course is consistently voted the most popular at the College. His book, Stage Performance, released in 2011 offers those lessons to anyone who is interested in elevating their presentation standards to professional standards.

Livingston's 50th year of making music was celebrated by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, both declaring January 18, 2017 "Livingston Taylor Day". 

Livingston Taylor

November 3rd

At The Tabernacle

26 Simpson Avenue

Mount Tabor, NJ 07878

Info & Tickets